Monthly Archives: March 2008

I sent Chris Pirillo, previously a television personality for TechTV, a rant late last month and he answered it. I already saw the video, and he posted it two weeks ago, but it is still interesting to know that even Chris Pirillo thinks I have some great ideas. In case any of you haven’t seen it, here it is:

I hope to send him some more stuff to discuss on his show, and maybe even get on there and do an interview. Cool stuff!

So, the past few weeks while looking up information on some mobile devices, laptops, and other technology products on YouTube, I saw many people on the site giving reviews on things. I saw 12 year olds declaring themselves a “technology master” and “computer genius.” I just wonder how bad it is really getting with other bloggers.

Anyone can create a website and claim they are an “expert” on any subject. People—I must make a reference to my general theory of almost everyone being a stupid consumer—will accept anyone as an expert as long as they act as such. If I went on my technology blog and started asking people what a URL was, I would instantly lose credibility (by the way, the answer is universal resource locator).

Why I consider myself a technology guru in particular, is because I spend many hours of the day researching topics on technology. The technology sections on Wikipedia read like the Bible to me. It just fills my thirst to know more about everything. I love doing this stuff. I dedicate myself to it.

It all raises a question of what an “expert” or “guru” is. It just seems odd how people will give anyone authority on any subject without doing the proper research on them. Whenever I read an article from someone I like, I want to know if they really have the experience and dedication to have their opinion be worthwhile.

After all, when I could write an article about how I think the moon is going to collide with the earth one day, and it makes it on the front page of Digg or Reddit, I think those people should understand that I have almost no knowledge on the subject. Yet, many people might respect my opinion as if I am a rocket scientist. It would be stupid of those people to accept my theory!

What is the point of this post? Well, it is to inform you that all these “experts” and “gurus” are just people. Anyone can claim to be an expert, but how do you actually qualify someone as one? You should get to know authors you read constantly, and while every opinion matters, if someone represents himself or herself as an authority, it should be up to the readers to scrutinize them heavily as such.

Bloggers are starting to get messy, and if you are a blogger, I must urge you to check your facts. Voice your opinion, but back them up with facts as well. Learn what a journalist is, and try to make strides in telling the truth. I hate nothing more than seeing someone straight up lie on a blog post. It makes me feel like my credibility is being shot as a fellow blogger.

I love the topics I talk about. I love writing. I love technology. However, it is not up to me to decide if I am an authority, but it is up to you. Keep bloggers honest, and keep the industry alive.

I had my first tooth pulled earlier today. I had to get it pulled after Sunday night when my tooth started hurting beyond all belief. It was the worst pain I ever experienced. I had it pulled today—after about 45 minutes of pulling and tugging from the dentist. I am in a great amount of pain, so things will be slow until everything heals up. I will be back though!

After talking to Eric Hagerman, a writer for Wired and Popular Science, I have been motivated to study journalism. It is a topic that I have never formally studied. It is, however, a good topic to have knowledge about. I really want to contribute to a popular magazine, but I would possibly need to demonstrate an ability to write journalistic content. So, that is exactly what I intend on doing with Tech In Demand.

I am planning on heading out to Barnes & Noble later on today (if the weather agrees) to find some good books on the subject of journalism. After a quick search online, I have found many books on the topic. I know of three that I am going to be checking out:

Associated Press Guide to Newswriting: The Resource for Professional Journalists—Rene J.J. Capone

How to Write Articles for Magazines and Newspapers—Dawn B. Sova

Writing for Magazines: A Beginners Guide—Chryl Sloan Wray

I’m sure there are others, but I will be on the hunt for those in particular. However, if anyone else has any suggestions, please let me know of them. I will be glad to check them out.

Once I learn the concepts of journalism, I will try my best to demonstrate them on Tech In Demand. The “blogs” section will be reserved for personal opinion, but the actual zones of the site will be for journalistic content.

Assuming all goes well, I will then attempt to get an article published in a small or large magazine—it depends on how confident I am feeling.

Again, if you have any advice on books or resources for studying journalism, please let me know in the comments section. It would be greatly appreciated!

Why the greatest company around repeatedly fails to fix a simple script that uploads videos is beyond me. Frankly, I see it as an embarrassment to the company. I for one know that many people have had issues with uploading videos on YouTube. It does not even require an effort to search online as I talk to people on a daily basis that have had issues. It is not the users’ fault either.

I just learned that it might be an issue with the latest flash player, but even if that is the case, I have had issues for well over a year now. I’ve even performed clean installs. It just makes no sense.

YouTube, a company that supposedly represents some of the best innovation online has never had it right with their upload tool. Ever since I first joined the site, I have had issues that just baffle me. YouTube, Google please fix this problem!